The city's hot sulphur springs have been famous since this was the Roman town ofAquae Statiellae; the ancient baths are referred to byPaulus Diaconus and the chroniclerLiutprand of Cremona.[4] In 1870 Giovanni Ceruti designed a small pavilion, known asLa Bollente, for the spot at the centre of the town where the water temperature up to 75 °C (167 °F).
During the Roman period, the region was connected by road withAlba Pompeia and Augusta Taurinorum (Turin) and was populated by the local Celto-Ligurian tribe of theStatielli. The region was subject to Roman rule after their main center, Carystum (Acqui Terme), was attacked in 173 BC by the legions led by the consulMarcus Popilius Laenas. The Statielli did not oppose resistance, but in contravention of the Roman law of war, the consul killed thousands of them, reduced the other Gauls to slavery, and began to organize the sale of slaves from the population. Some of them were transferred to the north of thePo, but others survived free in small villages in the surrounding areas that remained outside of Roman rule.[citation needed] In 2008 a necropolis was found in the nearby town of Montabone.[5] The remains show that the Statielli conserved their own customs and traditions for the entire the first century B.C., and likely after.
While controlled by Rome, an important town was built over Carystum, known for the natural thermal waters and spas. The remains of the aqueduct which supplied the waters and springs can still be found near the center of the town, along the riverBormida.[4]
In the 6th century, Acqui became part of theLombard kingdom of northern Italy. It was ruled by its bishop from 978, becoming an independent commune in 1135. In 1278 it was annexed to theMarquisate of Montferrat, to which it belonged until the acquisition by theDuchy of Savoy.
It was connected by a railway line toGenoa in 1892.
Jews first settled in Acqui in the 15th century. Initially, theGonzaga dynasty was benevolent towards them, refusing to comply with the Papal order to confiscate theTalmud in 1553, and protecting them from civilian mob violence. In 1570, however, Jews were required to wear theyellow badge; in the 16th and 17th centuries, the community experienced restrictions such as being forbidden to appear in public on feast days. In 1848, theJewish ghetto was abolished, which included the destruction of the oldsynagogue. In 1881, a new synagogue was constructed, which still stands, as of 2024.[6]
Acqui Cathedral:Romanesque edifice on the Latin cross plan, built in the late 10th century and consecrated in 1067 toSanta Maria Assunta by bishop Guido. The façade has a portal sculpted by Antonio Pilacorte, a late 15th-centuryrose window and a 17th-century portico. TheGothic-style bell tower is from 1479. The interior houses a late 15th-century triptych by the Spanish artistBartolomé Bermejo, and a Baroque altar of Saint Guido.
The Palaeologi Castle, mentioned for the first time in 1056. It was rebuilt in the 15th century by MarquisWilliam VII of Montferrat.
Church of the Addolorata: also calledSan Pietro dates to 7th-century. It was almost entirely rebuilt in the 10th-11th centuries in Romanesque style, and attached to a Benedictine abbey. It was again renovated in the 18th century, and returned to a neo-Romanesque appearance in the 1930s.
Church of San Francesco: rebuilt in 19th-century, stands adjacent to 15th century cloister of the former Franciscan convent.
